The Impromptu Reunion
by theseaisgreen
Summary: Life for Wally and Artemis has been uneventful at Palo Alto, but what happens when a family member shows up with more than they'd bargained for? - Threeshot
1. The Visit

**A/N: This is my second fanfiction, so I really hope you guys like it. I just wanted to thank everyone who reviewed, favourited, or followed my last post since all those positive comments really motivated me to write and post more. :)**

**Any criticisms are really welcome, seriously, since all I want to do is to improve.**

**Special thanks to these following people who have been nothing but nice to me, and for welcoming me to this website:**

**monzepelmoon**

**Irenerb**

**spitfireforever **

**Greendogg**

**piggythelaw**

**(I wasn't sure if I could link profiles, sorry. _)**

****I'm aware that Artemis was undercover when Lian was revealed in the series, but for the purposes of this story, let's pretend that she'd been born a few years before the events of Invasion. Thanks again!****

* * *

**The Impromptu Reunion**

* * *

It had happened on a Sunday morning during the summer, when neither Wally nor Artemis had classes for another week or so until the new semester began.

They'd been up late the night before chatting to Nightwing and M'gann, reminiscing about their younger superhero days, and they'd both slept in, too tired and comfortable in each other's warmth. As sunlight streamed through their half open window, and a cacophony of bird calls sounded outside, Wally was the first to wake up before Artemis stirred in his arms, feeling his ever piercing gaze on her face.

The sight of his smiling green eyes peering down at her the moment she'd barely opened hers was a welcome sight every morning, and she couldn't help but wonder what she'd done to deserve it. If someone had told her six years ago about this exact moment, she would have probably shot them. No kidding.

Her lips stretched into a wide smile as Wally leaned forward to give her a kiss. "Morning, beautiful," he greeted.

"Morning to you too," she mumbled in reply, giving a contented sigh.

The hand painted clock on their bedside table- the one give to Wally by his mother as a 'departing to university' gift- revealed that it was already half past eleven, but neither of them were in a hurry to get up, content in their shared warmth and silence. Wally watched the sunlight play on the golden strands of his girlfriend's hair, feeling the urge to run his fingers through the long, silky strands, but he stopped himself before he could, knowing that one thing would lead to another and his stomach was already running on a low, having not eaten before going to bed last night.

Artemis glanced at him, noticing the internal conflict in his eyes and with a knowing smirk on her face, she stretched upwards to kiss him, before reluctantly pulling away to lick her lips. It had left the effect she'd wanted as Wally's gaze strayed downwards and he swallowed nervously. Artemis only laughed in his face.

"Hungry?" she asked, and her sculpted blond eyebrows rose as she looked at him with wide, innocent eyes.

Wally's eyes glanced towards her lips again before he gave her a wolfish grin. "Like you wouldn't believe, babe."

Artemis laughed and smacked his arm before untangling her legs from the covers to get out of bed. She had barely had one foot on the ground when a tiny, childish giggle coming from the other side of their apartment stopped her in her tracks.

Tilting his head to one side, Wally's eyes widened as he looked at her. "Was that a _kid_ in our apartment?"

Artemis was equally shocked and immediately, her arms shot up in defence. "It wasn't me, I swear."

Had it been any other time, Wally would have laughed at his girlfriend's terrified expression, but there were more pressing issues to solve at the moment. Reaching for the covers, he pulled them off his legs and crept to the bedroom door, with Artemis following in suite.

He cracked the door open by a fraction and both of them peeked out of the door cautiously, eyes surveying their house for any signs of children running around. They took their time waiting to hear more of the sound, but when none appeared, it was a silent agreement that they had to investigate.

"Ladies first," Wally said, pushing Artemis gently forwards and earning a scowl from her in return.

"Wimp."

Wally opened the door wider for Artemis to exit the room, and watched in amusement as she tiptoed slowly in stealth mode, wearing one of Wally's old t-shirts. The situation was highly comical now that Wally wondered if they'd heard their neighbour's kid, or if someone else's TV had been on too loud.

He'd begun to relax and had followed Artemis down the corridor casually when they heard another giggle coming from their very own living room. Faster than even Wally could blink, Artemis had pressed him against the wall with a loud thud and had made a hushing motion with her finger.

Slowly, after she gave the signal to advance, they edged towards the living room and Wally raised an eyebrow when Artemis pulled out a small, portable crossbow from one of the potted plants. "Seriously?" he whispered. "It could just be a child, Artemis. Not to mention, all this time you had a crossbow hidden and I've been unknowingly pissing you off?"

She cupped her hand over his mouth to silence him, and rolled her eyes. "Security measures," came her casual reply as though it was customary for everyone to hide loaded crossbows in their potted plants. They started moving again, but didn't get far before a voice spoke from the same direction as they'd heard the laughing child.

"I know you're there; I heard you both minutes ago," drawled the female voice. "Are you guys going at it in the middle of the corridor? Kinky."

Artemis' hold on her crossbow slacked and it clattered to the ground as she froze mid-step. She knew that voice. No sooner had the name popped into her head that the mysterious infiltrator had decided to show herself, along with an adorable little girl with short auburn hair and grey eyes- the very grey eyes Artemis had inherited from her father. The child looked like she could've been their daughter, but her features were distinct from Wally's- and they would've known if something like _that_ happened.

"Cheshire?" Wally asked, his voice sounded strangled as his eyes focused on the child in her arms. At a closer look, there was no doubt that she was related to her, but there was something else familiar about the little girl's features too; her auburn hair, sleek jawline, and high cheekbones as she smiled at them.

_No way. No freaking way._

He spared a glance at Artemis and noticed that she had come to the same realisation too.

"You? You and Roy?" She spluttered, and Jade had to give herself credit for owning the most dramatic entrance. She didn't think she'd ever seen her little sister so flustered.

"Yes," she drawled, shifting Lian onto her other hip. "Jealous I got the hotter redhead?"

"No," both Wally and Artemis deadpanned.

Artemis still couldn't believe her eyes. She had a niece. And her sister was with Roy. _Roy_. Out of everyone she could've picked, she had chosen the most difficult, irritating, egotis-

"Does Roy know about this?" Wally interrupted her internal rant, and Artemis' eyes whipped upwards to analyse her sister's face.

There were dark circles underneath the older woman's eyes, and Artemis guessed it was probably from the child-rearing, but even though she looked like something the cat had dragged in and mildly irritated at Wally's question, there was a gentle softness in her eyes that she'd never seen there before. It almost made her smile, but she caught herself before her sister could call her on it.

This observation, however, was lost on Wally as Jade scowled at him, and he had half expected her to throw one of her poisoned daggers in a rage.

"I thought you were the smart one, carrot-top. Of course Roy knows," she snapped.

He shut up immediately after that, but still couldn't believe that his friend had done it- had made a _baby_- with one of their enemies. He couldn't blame him entirely though, the Crock women were certainly beautiful.

"So..." Jade began, her eyebrow raised almost patronisingly.

"So, what?" Artemis asked hesitantly, an ominous feeling prickled at the back of her spine and Wally placed an arm around her waist, feeling the distress emanating from her.

Her sister rolled her eyes and placed Lian on the ground before seating herself on the armrests of the couch. "How are things?"

Artemis almost choked on her own saliva as she stared wide-eyed at her sibling. "Who are you?"

Narrowing her feline eyes, Jade ignored her. "Just answer the question."

"I don't know- things are fine, I guess."

"Great," Jade said with mock enthusiasm, clapping her hands together as she hopped up from her seat. "Just wanted to check I wasn't leaving my child with complete psychopaths."

"Have you looked at yourse-" Wally started but Artemis cut him off with a deadly, calm voice.

"Leaving? What do you mean by leaving?"

His eyes widened as he realised a little late the insinuations of Jade's response, and he felt Artemis go frigid in his arms.

The woman in their living room- practically a stranger to Wally- sighed, and bent down to kiss her daughter on the cheek before putting her trademark mask on. "Aren't you two meant to be getting smarter in university? I meant what I said. You're babysitting. _Surprise_."

Artemis gaped at her sister, and stepped out of Wally's side-embrace so she could grasp onto her sister and convince her to stay and take her child home, but the assassin was too quick for Artemis' rusty moves and darted out of the way in a blink of an eye.

"I'm picking her up in two days and I left all the stuff you need at the front door. Think of this as... Training. For your own future."

Wally blushed and a pink tinge had appeared on Artemis' cheeks. "You can't just leave me with her, I have no idea what to do with a kid," she protested.

"It's simple. Just make sure she doesn't _die_. You'll be able to handle it," she shrugged before turning to wave at her little girl. "Lian, irritate Aunt Artemis as much as you want, okay? Mommy will be back soon."

Lian nodded before sending them a mischievous smile that rivalled her mother's.

"She's her child, all right," Wally gulped next to her.

As soon as Cheshire vanished out of their living room window, Artemis felt the sudden need to rest her head against something, and she leaned on Wally's shoulder, feeling like her mind had imploded. An arm wrapped around her as they both watched the little toddler play with Brucely, though they weren't sure if they could call it playing. The little girl had begun poking the poor pit-bull's nose, and the well-behaved dog just sat there, sneezing after every poke as Lian laughed in his face.

"Man, she's evil," Wally observed, though not unkindly, and he had to admit that the child had inherited her mother and aunt's charms. He sneaked a glance at Artemis beside him and tightened his arm around her when he saw the blank look on her face.

"We can do it," he reassured her, trying to keep his own paranoia buried, but Artemis didn't seem to hear him, or if she did, she was completely sucked into her own thoughts. Wally caught the words 'niece' and 'crazy' as she mumbled to herself.

"Artemis," he called, placing his hands on her shoulders in a placating gesture. "Hey, it'll be fine."

When she finally looked up at him, her eyes were a shade lighter than usual, and it didn't take long for Wally to realise that she wasn't distressed, in fact she was quite the opposite.

Her thoughts reeled as she replayed the earlier conversation in her head, confused as to what she should be feeling knowing her sister had named her daughter Lian after her middle name. The part inside of her, the one that Jade had abandoned eleven years ago in her mom's apartment, almost felt relieved to realise that her sister did have some feelings for her- at least enough to name her first child after her, even though it was only her middle name.

The older Artemis, however, the one who was still recovering from the discovery of her niece and the sudden and unexpected babysitting job, knew this information would give her the upper hand when her sister returned. And Roy- _Oh, this was good. _

She couldn't help the huge grin on her face as she watched the little girl giggle when Brucely rolled over. Artemis was an aunt. It had never occurred to her that her sister, the cold and unfeeling Cheshire, would ever give birth to a child, and no less with a Leaguer. She wondered if they were married, and cringed at the thought.

Beside her, Wally was thinking the same thing and out of nowhere, he voiced the question that had been bugging him ever since he laid eyes on Lian. "Does that mean they're intimate?" He blurted and Artemis smacked the back of his head while glowering at him.

"Don't talk about my sister and Roy-" _Choke_. "-like that. Don't you even dare mention it to the others. I want to have the satisfaction of knowing Roy has to be the one to spill his dark, dirty secrets."

With a raised eyebrow, Wally mulled it over. "We could speed up the process," he suggested. "We have his _daughter_. Wouldn't it be kind of us to take her to the Cave for a little visit? Invite everyone, have a little reunion."

A slow, twisted grin appeared on Artemis' face, and she stretched up to peck his cheeks. "That's why you're my boyfriend."

Without waiting for a response, Artemis crossed over to her niece and bent down as Lian began chatting animatedly, letting out high-pitched giggles whenever Artemis pulled funny faces at her stories.

Wally watched them with a smile on his face, admiring the way Artemis had befriended the little girl so effortlessly, and a random thought popped into his head that caused all the blood in his body to rush to his face.

There was no denying that Lian could be mistaken for their own, considering she had his hair colour and Artemis' eyes, and for a split second he'd almost felt like they were a family. That stray thought led him to wonder, that if they ever did have a child, would he or she resemble Lian? Or would their child have blonde hair and his eyes?

Wally's green eyes traveled sidewards from the little girl to sneak a peek at Artemis, and a soft smile appeared on his lips. It was a future he was looking forward to, and he was just going to have to convince his girlfriend of it too.

* * *

**Once again, thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and I'd love to hear/read your opinions/criticisms. :) **

**Ps: Just wondering if I should make them connected somehow, or just come up with a plot that occurs during the 5 year gap between season one and two? **


	2. Babysitting

**A\N: I had a lot of fun writing this, getting the idea from a Red Arrow and Lian moment I'd read in one of the comics. And unfortunately, I have exams now and I've been _trying_ to study, except Young Justice is forever nagging in the back of my mind, and if anyone has a cure for this- _Youngjustivitis_, please contact me. I'm desperate.**

**Thanks to these readers and reviewers for being so supportive, and for suggesting I make a sequel:**

**Sassbrat, spitfireforever, Irenerb, Player Zero, monzepelmoon, randomkitty101, Snowlily246, softball91, Cerulean Leader, KawaiiDesuGirl, Spitfire1017, ZeroV, coolgal13, doggy bye. **

**PS: I wrote this without editing too much since I don't have much time to, please review if you have any criticisms to shoot at me :) **

* * *

**Babysitting**

* * *

With Lian in the house, their day had been much more chaotic than they'd anticipated. For instance, Jade had _not_ mentioned that her daughter disliked vegetables with a burning passion; especially broccoli, with the very ones Artemis had steamed up for her now covering the dining room floor.

The frustrated archer tore at her hair, glaring at her niece with a scathing look that Wally wouldn't have wished on someone so young. However, Lian only laughed and clapped her hands together joyously.

"Wally," Artemis said in a low voice, and the fork that had been halfway lifted to his mouth halted in mid-air.

"Yes?" He asked nervously.

Artemis stood up from the ground, after sweeping up the masses of chopped up broccoli on the floor, and her cold gaze levelled onto him. "Get this kid to eat her food or I'm throwing her out the window."

Though Wally swallowed his food down with difficulty, the said kid only laughed, bouncing her legs against her chair and cheering, "Window! Window! Fly!"

Both of the adults stared at the little girl, uncertain if they should have been relieved that her obliviousness was a sign of innocence, or disturbed that Lian seemed unaffected- even enjoying- Artemis' threats.

"Um. Why don't you calm down... I'll take over," Wally suggested, putting his fork down and standing up to take the empty bowl from her niece.

Artemis raised an eyebrow at her boyfriend. "Are you sure?"

She knew Wally would never give up food for anyone, and considering the fact that he'd just offered for her; Artemis reached forward to plant a kiss on his lips, lingering for a moment longer than usual. "Thank you," she murmured.

He grinned against her lips before she pulled away, and Artemis gave him a gracious smile before returning to her half-eaten food.

"Alright," he announced to Lian once he'd returned with another bowl of broccoli. "If you finish this, I'll give you ice cream."

The redheaded girl shook her head adamantly while pulling a face at the bowl of greens he held in his hand. "Yuck," she said, her little nose scrunching up in distaste. "Ice cream only."

Across the table, Artemis snorted from her seat. "Yeah, that's not gonna happen. I've tried that Wally, she won't eat them no matter what."

As she took a bite of her own food, Artemis wondered what her sister did to get her daughter to eat those goddamn vegetables. She'd tried threatening her but that didn't work, and making deals hadn't worked either. Besides, if it was Jade, who knew what the woman did? Maybe she even gave her own daughter some of her less harmful poisons to induce her into a hypnotic state.

She watched as Lian slapped away the spoon Wally had edged closer to her mouth._ Maybe that wasn't such a bad idea. _

"Just one," Wally pleaded, holding the spoonful closer to her mouth. "I'll give you anything you want, ice cream, cookies, chocolate, bedtime story- just _please_."

Lian stared at Wally, her grey eyes hard and unrelenting, and a wave of nostalgia washed over him. He'd been on the end of that look for- who knew how long- and he knew it was a lost battle, but he refused to give up, the tiny flame of hope in him still flickering as he watched the little girl purse her lips in deep thought.

"No," came her final, firm reply and Wally deflated. Was stubbornness a dominant trait in the family? God help him if he were to survive with two spitfires in his house for the next couple days. He almost envied Brucely, who was curled up under the dining room table, waiting for pieces of food to be dropped without a care in the world.

Wally looked at Lian with imploring eyes, and got down to his knees in front of her seat. This was good practice, he supposed, for preparing himself for rejection if he were ever to propose to Artemis_. _

"What about a later bedtime? I'll consider prolonging it for an extra hour."

"No."

"I'll take you to the park tomorrow?"

"Nuh uh."

"Two scoops of ice cream?"

Lian crossed her arms and turned her face away from him.

"You're killing me here, kid."

Her eyes lit up at the word 'kill', and she whirled around with a curious look. Wally gave her a deadpan stare. "Seriously? That's not healthy."

The little exchange between them gave Artemis an idea and she stood up abruptly, surprising her niece and boyfriend as she left the room as swiftly as she'd left her seat. Wally turned to Lian slowly with furrowed eyebrows. "Actually, I don't blame you. It's genetic."

A couple minutes passed before Artemis came storming back, and Wally's eyes widened when he noticed the item in her hands. "Okay, I know you're mad and that she's a frustrating kid but aren't you taking 'good cop, bad cop' a little too far?"

Artemis rolled her eyes, lowering the crossbow she'd picked up from the living room. It had occurred to her that her niece had a particular fascination with violence, and whether it was due to Jade's influence or genetics, she wasn't sure, but she was definitely using it to her advantage. Ignoring Wally, she crossed the room to stop in front of Lian, holding up her crossbow for the younger girl to see. "If you finish that bowl, I'll let you play with it."

Wally choked behind her. "Are you crazy? That's dangerous, and kids like cartoons, rainbows, sunshine and toys, not-"

Lian's giggling interrupted his protest, and she reached her hand out for the bowl in Wally's grip.

"Babe," Wally started, placing the bowl in front of Lian as she started to eat it enthusiastically. "I didn't want to say this... But your niece has a high chance of becoming a public offender. Or a murderer. Or a _psychopath_."

"Relax, Wally. It's empty."

"Yeah, and so is her innate moral conscience."

Artemis blinked and let out an airy laugh before returning to her meal. "We'll have to teach her that, won't we?"

"We? _We?_ I think you mean me. Who's been in the superhero business for most of his life? This guy," he pointed at himself with his thumbs as he joined her at the dining table. Both their meals had long gone cold with their shared efforts to convince Lian of eating her broccoli, and Artemis sighed when the cold food touched her lips. She couldn't be bothered heating it up.

"I think we all know who has the strongest morality here: me. After all, I _did_ leave my family's villainous background to join the good guys."

"Says the woman who threatens to crush my windpipe if I leave the toothpaste uncapped."

"It hardens when you leave it open," she shrugged with nonchalance.

"Are you majoring in toothpaste manufacturing too?"

"No, but I can major in kick-ass in a couple minutes if you don't shut up, Kid Mouth."

Out of the blue and unexpectedly, a grin slowly materialised on Wally's face and he surprised Artemis when he pecked her cheek in a blink of an eye- literally. She'd barely blinked when his face had suddenly been there, and gone the next moment. "Cheat," she mumbled, but the corner of her lips were turned up no matter how hard she tried to force them down.

* * *

Wally did the dishes since Artemis had cooked, and currently, she sat in the living room with Lian at her feet while the little girl played with the unloaded crossbow. The little girl had an affinity for weapons, Artemis had to admit, and she watched as Lian held the crossbow correctly in her hands and aimed it at the TV. How old was she? Three or four?

Artemis wondered if Roy would consider training his daughter to be involved with their line of work, or if he would give up Red Arrow to start anew. She only wished Cheshire would throw in the towel and join them, but Artemis knew Jade. Her sister wouldn't give up her way of life for anything- or anyone, even if it was her own daughter. Not until she lost the thrill and sense of control that her activities provided. If anyone understood, it was Artemis, whose life had spun wildly out of her grasp ever since her mother had been arrested and had done everything in the years after to remedy her lost of grip on her life. It was all worth it in the end, she thought, with a smile on her face as she watched her niece smiling and listened to the sounds of running water from the dining room.

She rubbed her eyes, exhausted from the day's babysitting. Lian had mostly played with Brucely in the morning, but when the white pit bull did nothing to entertain her constantly shifting attention, Lian had moved on to playing hide and seek and it had taken an hour to find her, since she hadn't even been in the house. She had been outside, somehow having exited out the half-open bedroom window since the only other option was the window they had shut after Cheshire's departure.

Lian was as sneaky as her mother, and as headstrong as her father, and Artemis wanted nothing else but for the little girl to finally fall asleep, so that she could finally collapse in Wally's arms and get the sleep they both deserved. It was already nine at night, and Artemis continued staring at her niece. _Doze off. Doze off. You are very sleepy_, she chanted in her head, but she wasn't M'gann and all she had managed to do was give herself a headache.

When Wally finally finished the dishes, he joined her on the couch and breathed out a tired sigh, stretching his arm out to wrap around her shoulders.

"When will she knock out?" He pulled her closer to him to whisper in her ear.

"Soon, hopefully," she answered, leaning her head against Wally's chest as they both watched the little girl bounce about the room with the crossbow in hand. She was making 'pew-pew' noises while pretending to shoot at Brucely, and the tired pit bull just tilted his head at her before sprawling out on the rug.

"Doggy, die!" She squealed, her eyes shining with excitement as she pointed at him to the adults on the couch. They both forced smiles on their faces and nodded, but when the little girl had turned around to shoot at Brucely again, Wally groaned. "She's going to murder us in our sleep."

Artemis punched his chest lightly. "Don't joke, Wall-man," she scowled and Wally prepared himself for a scolding on insulting her niece, but Artemis surprised him by saying, "You'll jinx us."

Involuntarily, a chuckle burst from his lips and Artemis felt her head shake from the vibrations on his chest. "Impossible," he grinned and he twirled a lock of her blonde hair with his finger. "You're my good luck charm. You'll keep me safe, won't you babe?"

She smirked, and glanced sidelong at him from the corner of her eyes. "Just don't leave the toothpaste tube open, and I'll _consider_ it."


	3. The Reunion

**A/N: Black and white words cannot describe how grateful I am for the support this story has gotten. I hadn't even planned for it to be a threeshot, so thanks to all of you out there who encouraged it. _Really_. Thanks for your beautiful reviews and messages, and I hope I've replied to all of them with the appreciation they deserve. So, what's the point of this?**

**Well... To say I'm sorry, for posting this a bit late compared to what I've set for myself (weekly), and also to apologise for the quality of this story. Because- to all of you who do psychology- I think my ego is trying to rationalise that my exams were an appropriate excuse; and they're not. _So, I'm so sorry._ I just finished my exams and had my chemistry exam this morning (I stayed up all night to study with a tin of condensed milk and coffee since I tend to leave things last minute) and wrote this in the past 6-7 hours. So, again, I'm sorry in advance for every single mistake or the_ general choppiness of the whole entire thing_. **

**(PS: I know 6-7 hours sounds tiny, but I usually read it over and over and_ over for weeks_, until the point I can recite the whole thing or until the point where one look makes me go, "NOPE.")**

**Thanks again to these wonderful people who continue to be marvelously supportive:**

_**Irenerb, KitsuneGirl1994, Lacy-Macy11, Liveyourlifedanceing, Sunset22, Twin Tails Speed, beautifullove521, gdag1321, madluv4pancakes, softball91, yumipop01, Cerulean Leader, GoddessofCongeniality, KawaiiDesuGirl, Snowlily246, Spitfire1017, ZeroV, coolgal13, doggy bye, randomkitty101, Player Zero, monzepelmoon, Sassbrat, spitfireforever**_

* * *

_**The Reunion**_

* * *

Much to the delight of Wally and Artemis, the ex-Boy Wonder had approved of their little 'reunion' party being hosted at the Cave. Despite Nightwing's initial suspicion of their real motives, he still found there were advantages to hosting a party, the main one being it was a good bonding opportunity for his new Team- and secondly, that he hadn't seen the couple at Mount Justice in a while.

It had been decided earlier that day that Wally would set things up at the Cave, whilst Artemis was scheduled to arrive later, after Lian had eaten and taken a bath. So, as the retired speedster hung up the coloured streamers on the rocky walls, he couldn't help the grin on his face. He was _so_ looking forward to the reactions of their friends and Roy's face when they appeared with Lian in their arms. _Surprise_, he could almost hear Cheshire's sardonic voice in the room with him.

Fortunately, M'gann had offered to be the caterer for the evening and Conner helped him with the streamers and balloons, whilst the newer members- Gar, Robin and two other teens- sat on the couch watching the older superheroes rush about with the mundane activities.

"You're doing this... Why?" Conner had asked when he'd shown up with a box full of colourful decorations. Wally had simply shrugged in reply, giving his dense friend a secretive smile.

"It'll be good to see everyone again, and besides- we have a _surprise," _Wally had burst out laughing at the last word, and Superboy had merely raised an eyebrow, but did not question the redhead any further as he took the box from him.

A few introductions had been in order since Wally hadn't met the newest Blue Beetle yet, nor Batman's apparently new protégée. The young Hispanic male, Jaime, shook his hand amiably, a little star struck at meeting the Kid Flash -or at least he had liked to think, since Wally had chalked it up to the kid's nerves being the reason he had a tendency to talk to himself aloud in a one-way conversation. And Batgirl, unsurprisingly, did not introduce herself by her real name, and only gave him an acknowledging nod of her head before turning back to her phone.

He'd already met Robin, who'd given him a casual handshake, and Gar, who was a bit greener, and much more animalistic than the last time he'd seen him.

"Wally!" the youngest boy had greeted him as a _lion_ and had pounced on him, before changing back to his humanoid form when he came into contact. The speedster groaned, trying to unlock Gar's arms around him as the others watched on with amusement. He had almost considered vibrating out of the younger boy's iron grip, but he was still a bit rusty and though he was attached to the boy, he didn't want to be _permanently._

"You should rejoin us," Gar was saying, his voice muffled against Wally's shirt. "We'd make a great team, you and I. Of course, not that I'm not great when I work with the others and in fact, just the other day, we'd managed to-"

M'gann's entrance had interrupted his rant and he immediately released Wally when his adopted sister shot him a dark look. However, Wally had barely gotten to his feet when the Martian herself had assaulted him with one of her hugs.

"It's been a while since we all saw you- not on a holographic screen, that is," she said, her voice sounding clogged, and Wally patted her back awkwardly. Even after all these years, Wally still found the martian's over-emotional state a little overwhelming and only gave her a small smile when she withdrew with tears pooled in her eyes.

"I've been busy," he replied, and it was true, juggling university was hard enough without all the superhero stuff.

After a moment of smiling fondly at one another and being overwhelmed by the feeling of nostalgia that had settled between all of them, M'gann laughed and clapped her hands together, causing the decorations to float out of the box and attach themselves around the room. "Food's done, decorations are done; let's get this party started!"

"Yes!" Robin cheered and the others all joined him with broad grins on their faces. "Wait, where's Nightwing?"

Unnoticed by most of them, a shadow crept in the corner of the room and out of nowhere, Batgirl threw a batarang at Wally, her aim impeccable though her eyes were still on the bright screen of her phone. The speedster saw it coming and shimmered away from it in a flash. "What was-"

"-good one, Batgirl," A deep voice interjected from behind Wally, and he turned around to see a smug Nightwing standing where'd he'd been just moments ago, having barely dodged the incoming batarang himself.

His lips formed an 'O' as he stared at his long time best friend, and then his eyes narrowed when he realised what his so called best friend had been about to do. "Isn't a hug just enough for you?"

Nightwing grinned and pulled him into a manly hug. "It'll do."

Wally scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"So, what do you think?" his best friend asked, gesturing to the cave once they'd both stepped back. "Bring back memories?"

Wally's gaze traveled around the room, to the couch where he used to complain about Superboy's choice of television, or where he used to play video games with the old Robin, or where he did his biology homework with Artemis... and other stuff. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, everything almost seems the same."

No one had to voice the real meaning behind Wally's words. Kaldur's absence and betrayal had affected them all, especially Nightwing, whose role as Team leader had been previously held by their estranged friend.

Wally knew if he'd been with Dick Grayson instead of Nightwing, he'd see the younger man's clear blue eyes dim and cloud over with regret at not being able to stop their friend, but Nightwing wasn't Dick, and instead of being downtrodden, he only grinned and punched his shoulder lightly. "Welcome back."

Conner put his hand on Wally's shoulder and the redhead swore he had seen somewhat of a smile on the clone's face since his break-up with Miss Martian.

It was then, that the computer announced Artemis' arrival, and Wally dashed to the zeta tubes to greet his girlfriend. The blinding light flashed and Artemis walked out with Lian in one arm, and a bag full of diapers and toys undoubtedly in another.

"Hey, beautiful," he pecked her on the lips and took the bag from her as they made their way to the living room. Her grey eyes surveyed the room, lighting up with amazement when she noticed all the decorations and the food M'gann had displayed on the counter.

"You've outdone yourself, Baywatch," she said a little awed, and Wally smiled broadly at her. She had been so preoccupied with the room that she hadn't noticed the horrified expressions her friends all wore on their faces, their eyes all trained on the little girl in her arms.

When she finally shifted her gaze downwards, the smile on her face disappeared as soon as she gauged onto their emotions. It was M'gann who spoke first, her face a more sickly pale green then her usual shade. "When you said you had been busy, Wally, you weren't kidding."

They all nodded, speechless and even Nightwing appeared shocked. "I second that."

"Is this the surprise you were talking about?" Conner asked, bewildered and Artemis would've laughed at her friend's usually stoic face if it all hadn't gone so wrong.

"I-_No_- you've all misunderstood. This is my_ niece_. Say hi to Lian."

The team let out a collective breath of relief and M'gann was the first to move towards them, her arms stretched out to greet the little girl. Lian stared at the odd colour of M'gann's face, and buried her face into Artemis' neck when she tried to hand her over to the Martian.

"Lian, she won't hurt you. She's a good friend of mine. She can be your second aunty, how about that?" She cooed to the girl, but Lian only gripped onto Artemis' neck tighter. "She can shoot arrows with her mind," Artemis tried, and Lian shot up suddenly, hitting the top of her head on Artemis' chin, the pain forgotten as she faced M'gann with her arms open.

Artemis rubbed her sore chin as M'gann took the little girl from her and levitated a cupcake from the bench, which elicited a round of applause from her niece. A redhead appeared beside Artemis and Wally hastened to introduce Batgirl, who was staring at Lian with calculating eyes.

"Are you sure she's not yours?" She asked, her voice a tad cynical as she glanced to look at the couple before watching Lian again. "She looks an awful lot like the both of you."

"A hundred and fifty percent," Wally answered firmly, glad that the whole mix up was over, but he was now fidgeting with excitement, wanting their other friends to arrive so that he could drop the bomb in Roy's face.

Artemis elbowed Wally lightly, giving him a warning glare about his nervous fidgeting before moving past the counters to the kitchen, where M'gann had taken her niece. Wally stayed behind with Nightwing and Conner whilst the rest of the team had all followed the girls, eager to play with Lian.

"She looks familiar," Conner grunted.

Nightwing chuckled, throwing himself on the now empty couch. "Of course she does, she's Artemis' niece after all. Isn't that right, Wally?"

If the speedster hadn't been so distracted with the announcement of another few arrivals from the supercomputer, he would've picked up on Nightwing's I-know-everyone's-dirty-secret smile. "Hmm, yeah. That's right," he offhandedly answered, watching the doorway for the new guests to walk in.

When the mass of superheroes entered, Wally was disappointed to see it didn't include their friends from Star City. However, the others were all in a joyous mood, including his uncle, Superman, Martian Manhunter, Raquel and Zatanna; the latter changing into her civvies as soon as she'd joined them with a puff of smoke still curled around her.

"Wally, how've you been?" She asked, giving Wally a brief hug before her eyes glanced around for her best friend's silhouette.

"Great, the workload's been tough but-"

"Where's Artemis?" The magician asked, cutting him off when she couldn't find his girlfriend with him.

"Here, Z," called the archer from the kitchen and Zatanna shot Wally and the others an apologetic smile before moving away.

Soon enough, the speedster was greeted by his uncle and the other superheroes, all eager to hear of his welfare and thanking him for inviting them tonight. He'd been in the process of answering them when a gasp could be heard from the kitchen and Zatanna's "What the hell, Artemis?"

"Language, Z. There are children here," came the archer's reply.

"You bet there are children here," Zatanna retorted, and Wally saw the raven haired girl exit the kitchen. _Uh oh_, he thought, moving to stand behind the dark figure of Batman.

"There's a kid in the kitchen. Red hair, grey eyes- seem familiar?"

At that moment, Batman chose to move sideways, revealing a sheepish Wally, who wasn't even sure if he should be feeling guilty. He looked up and immediately regretted it when he saw his uncle's clouded expression, the one he always had before he exploded into a full blown lecture.

Footsteps and a childish giggle echoed the room as Artemis followed with Lian in her arms, and she froze when she saw that every superhero in the room had turned to look at her.

"Wallace Rudolph West," the Flash said in a low, menacing tone, and Wally cringed, moving towards his girlfriend for moral support. "Explain. _Now_."

Before Artemis could open her mouth however, a calm voice in their heads interrupted her.

_Everyone, please calm down. She's not their daughter. Don't you think they would've told us if something like that had happened? _ M'gann reasoned.

Wally and Artemis thanked the stars for M'gann's intrusion, and Wally looked at his uncle. _I would've told you- _if_ she was ours, I mean._

The Flash relaxed his stance and apologised, but Zatanna looked confused.

_Who is she, then?_

Artemis frowned. _My niece._

Meanwhile, during the mental conversation, Lian stared at the adults standing quietly around her, some of them smiling and nodding whilst the others looked confused. Then, she saw the black haired woman that had seemed surprised earlier laugh suddenly, and the tension in the air dissolved.

"She could almost be your kid, Artemis," Zatanna said, smiling at Lian.

"She's right," the Flash joined in. "If you two ever have a kid, that's what she'll look like."

A dark shadow approached them, and the Batman ruffled Lian's hair almost affectionately, surprising all of them.

"Looks just like her parents," he said gruffly, and though the others agreed with him as they thought of Jade, only Artemis had picked up his underlying meaning, and she wondered who else knew the truth as her gaze slid to the nonchalant Nightwing. Before she could confront him though, two familiar figures in their civilian clothing entered the room, their arrivals having been missed during the whole fiasco.

Artemis gulped, ready to explain herself, but her ex-combat trainer was already staring straight at them.

"Oh, Artemis. Why didn't you tell us? She's beautiful," gushed Dinah Lance. Her blonde hair swished behind her as she sauntered towards them, taking Lian from Artemis' arms while cooing at Lian with wishy washy compliments.

With Lian now gone from her arms and no longer covering her face, Artemis stilled when her adopted uncle's blue, steely gaze landed on her.

She watched as they widened in horror and she waited with abated breath for the explosion that was about to follow.

"Baby- you- Wally!" Oliver Queen spluttered, his face reddening as he stormed towards them and Wally raised his hands in surrender.

"It isn't me, I swear! Ollie!" He cried, speeding to the other side of the room and nearly smacked into the wall when Ollie bent down to retrieve his collapsible bow hidden in his pant leg. Quickly, Artemis grabbed onto his hand to stop him, and Ollie glared at her in response, trying to shake off her grip gently.

"Let go, Artemis. That- that... fiend! You're too young! You don't need to defend someone like him, now let go."

"I thought you liked me, Ollie!" Wally protested across the room and Green Arrow growled in response.

Artemis sent Dinah a pleading look and the blonde woman rolled her eyes before plopping Lian into Ollie's arms. He fumbled for a second, surprised, before he turned his glare on Dinah, though it was a softer look compared to the murderous one he'd been sending Wally.

"Let me kill him," he demanded and Lian laughed, obviously delighted, unlike the rest of the room. Artemis sighed. Her niece was almost as crazy as her mother.

"Ollie, she's not my daughter."

"I know she is, and that's why I should be piercing him with my..." He trailed off and his blonde eyebrows rose when he fully realised what Artemis had said. "Oh."

"That's right. _'Oh.'_" Wally said sarcastically, appearing next to them although he still stood a fraction behind Artemis. If he had learnt anything from today, Wally was sure that when it came to Artemis' welfare, he'd rather suffer Sportsmaster's wrath than Oliver Queen's.

"Then whose is she?"

"My niece, Lian," Artemis answered, tired of introducing her.

Though most of the responses they had received after they'd revealed Lian's origins had been either of relief or surprise, Dinah's was the most unexpected. The blonde woman seemed disappointed, and Artemis almost took back what she said. Almost.

"That's a shame," Dinah said mournfully, though she was still playing with Lian with adoring eyes.

"You can always help me babysit."

Black Canary gave her a warm smile, her blue eyes twinkling. "That would be nice."

Having enough of the awkward fest, Wally's ears perked up for the last announcement they would get. The last and the greatest.

It was peculiar how Roy was the one to show up last, almost like it was a grand reveal that kept them on their toes. But when he didn't appear five minutes after, Artemis began to suspect something was up. Had Roy somehow found out about their plan?

_Impossible_, she narrowed her eyes. _No one knew about it._

Wally sensed her agitation and he turned to Ollie, the older man having seemingly cooled off after finding out the truth. "Is Roy coming?"

"Yeah, he was on his way," he said distractedly, grinning at Lian as she stroked his goatee. "Doesn't it make me look handsome?"

Lian scrunched up her nose as she shook her head, and Ollie's grin fell. "Of course it does, doesn't it Dinah?" He asked, his voice a tiny bit higher as he stared at his girlfriend expectantly.

She gave him a small smile, but said nothing and he huffed, handing Lian over to Artemis begrudgingly.

_"Recognized. Red Arrow. 21."_

Wally and Artemis shared a victorious look, and schooled their expressions as Wally put an arm around her and Artemis whispered in Lian's ear to look at the entrance of the door.

They waited, and Wally was bouncing on his feet as the familiar redhead entered, the signature scowl still on his face.

"This better be worth my time," he said, looking at the streamers strung above him and his frown etched deeper onto his face.

Artemis chuckled, walking past Dinah and Ollie, and winked at Zatanna on the way, who only responded with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, but it is, Roy," she purred, and the redheaded archer's head snapped towards her, having first though that it was Jade, but relaxing when he realised it was only her younger sister. Then his eyes slid sideways and focused on the little girl in her arms.

"Holy fu- _Lian?" _ His heart stopped and he almost whipped off his mask to double clarify the sight in front of him.

"You've met Artemis' niece before?" Ollie inquired, smiling at the fact that his two ex-protégés had a close relationship outside of the League. _If only he knew how close they really were_, Artemis thought.

Her niece squirmed in her arms and the archer let her down as she stumbled towards her father, a big toothy grin on her face while calling, "Dadda!"

Everyone's movements froze and the room became instantly quiet as even the teens stopped their bantering to watch the scene unfolding before them. Ollie's smile slid off his face and his blue eyes were so wide open, they looked all ready to be popped out.

There was a moment of total silence before a cacophony of outraged voices roared in the room, and Artemis leaned into Wally, both of them smiling smugly to themselves.

"Artemis said she was her niece- how?" M'gann asked.

"I don't think she meant it as an adopted niece because they shared the same mentor," Zatanna answered. "That means..."

"_Roy!_" Dinah exclaimed.

Somehow, in between the million questions being asked, and Red Arrow's stiff expression, Nightwing had joined them, giving Wally a fist pump as he did.

"You knew," Artemis said accusingly, narrowing her eyes at the sheepish expression on his face.

"It's my job to know everything."

Artemis stared at him, seeing a boy that had grown up too quickly and too well in the past years she'd known him, and though she knew he wouldn't have wanted her to, she felt sorry for him. It must've been tough being Batman's protégé. "For how long?" She asked, and this time her voice was softer.

"Only a couple months. I was as shocked as you were."

Artemis blinked, expecting her friend to have known for longer since Lian was three- or four, she didn't know. "And you didn't tell us?"

Nightwing shrugged, the sheepish expression gone from his face as he stared at the mass of superheroes circling Red Arrow, the man looking like he was about to burst at any moment. "It wasn't my place to tell."

Wally glanced at Artemis and she caught his gaze, giving a slight nod of her head. He relaxed, and smiled at Nightwing, and the Boy Wonder grinned back, knowing that his friends had already forgiven him.

"Should we do something?" Nightwing asked, watching Red Arrow as the archer's arms tightened around his daughter and used her as a shield as Ollie rounded on him. Wally grimaced.

"This looks bad... but technically this means things went right, for once."

"Feeling the aster?" Nightwing offered.

Artemis shot him a disbelieving look at the fact that he still remembered. "Sure."

They all stood on the sidelines, watching as Batman restrained Ollie, who looked pretty comical considering he was in civvies and his face was bright red with all the spluttering he was doing, and Conner and Superman's initial surprise seemed to have worn off as they stood on the other side of the room. Dinah was frowning at Ollie, whilst the others were all pouncing on him for details.

Over the complete chaos in the room, Roy glared pointedly at Wally and Artemis, the usual scowl on his face a bit more twisted than usual, and he stormed towards them, shoving past the crowds of superheroes.

When he finally stopped in front of them, the room had quietened again, eager to watch the confrontation, except for Ollie, who was still restrained by Batman and was shouting, "You come back here, Speedy! We need to have _the talk_, I don't care how delayed it is!"

Roy glanced at his ex-mentor before turning his deadly glare onto Wally and Artemis. "You two are so dead," he bit out, trying to hand his daughter over to someone, but no one wanted to have blood on their hands.

A bit frightened- though she'd never admit it- Artemis hid her fear with a plastic smile. "How have you been, Roy? Or should I say, my dear brother-in-law?"

Across the room, Ollie let out a strangled yell. "What? _What?_ Roy! You're _married_? Before your mentor? What happened to using_ protect_- don't turn your back on me!"

Red Arrow scowled at Artemis, and his jaw clenched. "No comment. I knew I disliked you for a reason."

"It was Wally's idea, actually."

"Babe!"

Artemis raised an eyebrow at him, and he heaved a sigh.

"You're my pal, you should've told us-"

Roy cut him off with a death glare.

"-please don't kill me."

Lian started bouncing in her dad's arms and hugging his neck tightly, and Roy shifted his attention to her, patting her back soothingly.

"Missed you," the little girl said into his shoulder, and Roy smiled in return, kissing the top of her head.

Then, a flash when off and everyone's head whipped towards Gar, who held a camera in his hand sheepishly.

"He smiled- come on! I can't be the only one who hasn't seen his smile before!"

Roy rolled his eyes, instantly frowning again and everyone laughed.

"Where's Jade? Why is Lian with you?"

"She was suited up," Artemis offered as an explanation, her eyebrows furrowing together.

Roy's expression mimicked hers and though Artemis hadn't said it, they both knew where she'd gone.

"Did she say when...?"

Artemis' head whipped up and she almost felt sorry for him. Roy looked a little scared, doubtful even, of Jade's return. _Been there, buddy._

Reaching out to pat Lian's back reassuringly because she'd never in her right mind openly console him, she said, "Tomorrow." And Roy relaxed immediately, burying his face into his daughter's hair. He had originally wanted to skin the two for bringing Lian here when he had wanted to keep her a secret, knowing he'd have to explain where she came from, and that was too much for the archer to handle.

But there was a tiny part of him that was grateful to them for letting the cat out of the bag. He had felt guilty for keeping her away from his friends, and Wally and Artemis had only provided him an opportunity, like ripping off a bandaid. With Lian's head covering the lower half of his face, he was smiling, and regardless of how tiny that smile was, he'd never let them have the satisfaction of knowing he was _sorta_ grateful.

In the midst of the silence that had settled in the room, Superboy was the first to break it. "Was this the surprise?"

Wally grinned at him. "Yeah."

The clone only grunted in response, before music started playing through the speakers and all heads turned to look at Nightwing, who had been fiddling with his watch controls.

"What? This is a party, right?"

The younger members let out whoops of excitement as everyone dispersed, wanting to enjoy themselves.

Artemis and Wally watched the scene before them, smiling at their old friends and the ones they had made during their journey to adulthood, and not once did they regret how things had turned out. Even if they lost some in the way, they would always be remembered, and their legacy still lived on as long as justice was kept, and for as long as they lived.

Overwhelmed with joy, Artemis reached up to kiss her boyfriend, and when she finally stepped back, she was wearing the smile Wally had come to look forward to seeing every day, the smile that was pure happiness and brightened her features, and her golden hair seemed to glow tenfold in the artificial lights of the Cave. "I'd say this mission was a success."

Wally blinked, a little dazed and it took a while before he came to his senses and pressed his lips against hers ardently. "What did I say? You're my good luck charm."

Artemis laughed at his cheesy line, and he kissed her again. "Oh yeah, definitely feeling the aster."

* * *

**Thanks again, guys. You actually got through 8,000+ words of my writing, so you all deserve a clap on the back or some cake. I might post something that's an actual story soon, it just depends on how I go on writing it. Thanks again! Merci Beaucoup! **


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